Steeped in the Embers of Memory
by Queen Lilly
Summary: This series is centered around all the memories Link can recover in Breath of the Wild. After years of training with the Master Sword. Link if finally recognized by the King and chosen to become the knight of his daughter, Princess Zelda. However, no one seems to be sure of this whole ordeal.
1. The Appointed Knight

Link hadn't even had a conversation with the King, and now he was being told that he was supposed to be the Princess's knight? It was rather strange in Link's opinion. Sure he had the Master Sword he came upon during his rigorous training. Days spent out in what's been dubbed the Lost Woods a few years ago. It was his father's idea. Apparently it was something he had done while training to be a knight. If one could survive in the Lost Woods and make their way through it, they would make it out in the wilds. Only his father never dreamed that after he stumbled upon the Master Sword he would actually try to take it. He himself had been warned that not being able to draw the blade would cause death to those unworthy. Yet at the Deku Tree's persuasion, Link pulled it out with little effort. News spread fast that one of the knights had been chosen by the Master Sword of Legend. Link felt incredibly uneasy about the role from the start. And years went by with intense training regimes with his father. People looked down upon him, silently watching until they were out of sight and would only then talk. And now after years, it seemed that he had finally been recognized by the castle. He was to become the appointed knight of the Princess. But Link wasn't sure if his training affected the King's decision, or if he only cared about the sword he wielded.

When the day came, he said a solemn goodbye to his father and was taken to Hyrule castle in a carriage. He knew that the King was readying for a war, so there was no big ceremony, no parade like his fellow knights joked about. No, he was simply met by the Princess herself and four 'champions' they had been dubbed. Upon seeing Princess Zelda, he immediately kneeled and bowed his head, only catching a glimpse of her long blonde hair and her elegant blue and white gown.

"It's alright, you may rise," she said in a quiet voice.

He slowly got back on his feet.

"If you are to be my knight," she said, holding her shoulders high, trying to appear professional. "Then you needn't bow every time you see me. We shall save a lot of time that way."

He watched her.

She took a deep breath then spoke. "We have decided to hold a ceremony." She turned quickly and her hair flew through the air behind her.

Although Link hadn't met the Goron, Gerudo, or Rito, he was happy to see a familiar face in the Zora. Mipha gave him a soft smile and gentle wave as the five followed Zelda from the carriage to the end of the castle grounds where a raised stone platform sat at the edge of a small forest.

Link hinted a smile back to Mipha and the Goron smiled widely, waving his massive hand through the air. The Gerudo kept her head forward, walking with a sense of grace and dignity. The Rito simply turned up his beak and avoided eye contact.

"All right," Zelda breathed. She stepped into the center of the small stage. "Now you, knight, kneel before me while I say the ancient rites."

Link stepped forward and kneeled, his head turned down to the stone.

With another deep breath, Zelda raised her hand and began the ceremonial chant. "Hero of Hyrule, chosen by the sword that seals the darkness…" she said in a defeated tone, "you have shown unflinching bravery and skill in the face of darkness and adversity. And have proven yourself worthy by the blessings of the Goddess Hylia. Whether skyward bound, adrift in time, or steeped in the glowing embers of twilight. The sacred blade is forever bound to the soul of the Hero. We pray for your protection… and we hope that—that the two of you will grow stronger together as one." She paused as if perhaps trying to remember more of the rehearsed lines. She let out a small sigh and brought her hand up once more. "Forged in the long distant past…."

Link kept his eyes to the stone, his stomach growing tight at her lofty words, but his ears turned to the champions while Zelda recited the last few lines.

"Gee," started the Goron, "this is uplifting. She's making it sound as if we already lost."

"Wasn't this your idea?" The Rito scoffed. "You're the one who wanted to designate the appointed knight with all the ceremonial pomp, grandeur, and nonsense we could muster…. And if you ask me, the whole thing does seem to be overkill. I think I'm on the same page as the Princess regarding this… this boy."

"Oh give it a rest," the Gerudo said simply. "That boy is a living reminder of her own failures. Well, at least that's how the princess sees him."

Link swallowed hard, the sword on his back growing even heavier than it felt before. Realizing Zelda finished speaking, he focused on her, though his head stayed to the ground.

She was quiet a moment. Link wondered if he was supposed to do something in response.

"Rise then, hero, for you are now my knight, and Hyrule begs your protection."

Pushing on his knee, he stood tall and looked back on her.

She let out a breath. "Oh, right, I probably should introduce you to our champions." She turned to the four. "Mipha, from the Zora."

Mipha covered her mouth, stifling a soft laugh as she bowed politely.

"Daruk from the Goron tribe."

The Goron smiled. "Nice ta meet ya, kid."

"Revali from the Rito village."

The Rito crossed his wings and looked up to the sky.

"And Urbosa, leader of the Gerudo."

With a simple look from the eight foot and muscular Gerudo, Link was sure Urbosa could kill him with a single glance, Master Sword or not.

"And champions, this is…."

"Link," Mipha said happily. She stepped over to him. "He's rather quiet most of the time, but I know he will be a great addition to our team."

"So you know this boy?" Revali asked, his wings still crossed.

"Yes, Link and I spent a lot of time together in the Zora Domain in our younger days," Mipha said softly.

Link nodded.

"Well, I think it's time we let him in on our little secret," Urbosa said in a strong voice. "You may or may not have heard why we are called champions. And it's because we were chosen to pilot the Divine Beasts."

Zelda then lead them inside where a banquet was held in Link's honor. Many of the other knights were invited and cheered Link on.

Despite the wonderful food, Link found it all hard to swallow.


	2. Out on the Job

Link spent a long time listening to the champions explain what they have prepared for the defense against the possible of Calamity Ganon. For some time he had heard murmurings of contraptions with divine power. After a prophecy telling the King to look underground, four massive stone beasts were found. With such powerful contraptions, there needed to be pilots. Because of where the beasts were found, the King looked to finding champions from those regions. And so the four champions were chosen through various means and now have been working closely with Zelda, the King, and the Sheikah led by Impa's guidance.

After about two days of info dumping about Calamity Ganon, the Divine Beasts, the Guardians, and ancient technology, Link finally was given something to do other than follow Zelda around the castle and listen to her ramble. He was to travel to the Rito village and get a good look at Vah Medoh, the flying beast commanded by Revali. Zelda also explained that she would be traveling to the Spring of Courage. He didn't even get a chance to ask why he wouldn't attend her before she quickly explained herself.

"And, no, you do not need to accompany me to the Spring. I am going with Impa who will protect me. It is a sacred place where I am to pray to the goddess of courage, and I simply do not think it wise to have you tromp around in such a sacred place. We will meet up back here at the castle in four days. That should be plenty of time for you to travel to Rito Village and to assess Revali's progress before returning to the castle shortly after I do. Is that clear?" she asked with authority.

He nodded.

"Good." She turned away quickly and went into her room.

The two guards in front of her door glanced warily at each other.

"She'll come around, Link," one assured.

"Yeah, she couldn't stand us for a while, but eventually she kinda forgot about us and doesn't give us give us crap anymore."

He took a deep breath before turning to go back to his new quarters. The room was small, but certainly nicer than his previous home. This room actually had furniture that wasn't falling apart every week. And at least the bed was comfortable. Link already found it too easy to oversleep in the new bed.

The following morning he awoke, practiced his daily workout routine, ate a simple breakfast, and went out to find the Princess talking with a few Sheikah researchers.

Zelda had everything packed and had him attach the bags to the horses. The the mounted up and went their separate ways.

He did certainly enjoy his long ride alone with his steed, but he couldn't help but worry about Zelda and her journey.

When he arrived one morning, he came to a small collective of people strewn along the sides of a tall, sheer rock. A Rito came to greet the two and gave them a simple tour of the village, showing off their prized clothing shop and fletcher. The village elder, who was relatively young to be called an elder, came to speak with Link briefly.

"We Rito are quite happy to hear that one of our own has been chosen as one of Hyrule's champions," Kaneli said, looking down to Link who was much shorter than him. "Young Revali has been quite the talk of the village recently. He's been spending almost all his time up in Vah Medoh, learning and honing in his skills. That beast is quite fascinating." He stroked a long feather that came from his chin. "Link, why don't you go on and have a look at the beast, I'm sure Revali will be happy to see you and fly on down."

With a nod and a small bow, he turned and made his way up the walkways until he reached one of the higher wooden platforms that jutted out. Looking up he could see a massive bird-shaped creature circling the village. However, he didn't see any sign of Revali. He marveled at the Divine Beast when a sudden gust of air blew in and there Revali came with it from below.

He landed on the wooden railing, his head held high and feathers perfectly preened. "Impressive, I know," he said with a pleased look. "Very few can achieve a mastery of the sky. Yet I have made an art of creating an updraft that allows me to soar." He waved his wing up with a smug look on his face. "It's considered to be quite the masterpiece of aerial techniques, even among the Rito." He hopped off the railing and stepped forward towards Link. "With proper utilization of my superior skills, I see no reason why we couldn't easily dispense of Ganon. Now then, my ability to explore the firmament is certainly of note…." He stepped around Link as he spoke. "But let's not—pardon me for being so blunt—let's not forget that I am the most skilled archer of all the Rito. Yet despite these truths, it seems that I have been tasked to merely assist you. All because you have that little darkness-sealing sword on your back. I mean, it's just.. Asinine." He spoke as if it were obvious. "Unless… you think you can prove me wrong? Maybe we should just settle this one-on-one. But where…? Oh I know! How about up there?!" He pointed his feathers up at Medoh. "Oh, you must pardon me, I forgot you have no way of making it up to that divine beast on your own," he finished in a strong voice. With a flap of his wings he took off for the sky and called back to Link. Something about darkness? Link couldn't be sure of anything other than that it must have been pretentious.

The Master Sword's weight felt as if it had increased once again.

He stared up at Medoh, unsure of how to get up there. Zelda ordered him to meet her up there once she finished speaking with some of the Rito. And he had no interest in asking one of the Rito guards to bring him up.

"Hey little man," a young woman called as she approached the platform.

He turned quickly to see not a Rito like expected, but a Gerudo.

"You need to get up to Medoh? I can get ya there," she said pushing a set of goggles onto her forehead.

He stared at her.

"Follow me." She waved him on and led him down out of the Rito Village.

Link grew worried that she was taking him somewhere to get ambushed, but he couldn't get himself to try and ask.

"Just over here," she said as a massive wooden canon came into their view on the other side of the Rito village mountain spire. "Now climb on in." She turned a crank and the canon barrel tipped downward.

He stared at her.

"Go on. Get in. Trust me. The cannon may be made of wood, but I know my calculations. Look at these goggles. I know what I'm talkin' about," she said pointing a thumb at herself.

With a deep breath he turned and went to the barrel. He climbed right in.

"Alright!" she called. "Just relax and three, two—"

And the cannon blasted off and Link went soaring through the air. He screamed as he soared through the air straight past the whole of Rito Village. His velocity only started to slow as he drew close to Medoh. He stopped shooting upward just as he crested over Medoh's wing. So when he fell, he only fell four feet before landing on the stone bird. He stood for a moment, collecting himself. After a moment, he chuckled lightly and relaxed.

"Link? H-how did you get up here?" Revali asked coming out on the deck. "No matter. Oh, and here comes Kaneli," he sighed.

Kaneli happily lead Link through Medoh and explained everything he knew about Medoh. Revali did what he could to take charge of the tour and explaining.

For the rest of the day and the next, he worked with Revali and Vah Medoh on changing a few aspects about it to better suit the needs of a Rito and of someone with a large head. Link really didn't know what he was doing, but it was really just work that someone with feathers couldn't do.

Link was glad to head back to Hyrule castle where it was warmer and free of pompous champions.

Immediately upon returning, Link went to Zelda's chambers to check that she returned safely.

"Now where have you been?" King Rhoam asked in a booming voice.

Link jumped at the noise behind him and quickly turned to face him and kneel.

"My daughter ventured outside of this castle without you. I know you haven't been here long, but simply because you are now an official knight does not mean you have free reign on where you go and what you do. You are to accompany the Princess everywhere she goes!" he called, his deep voice growing louder.

"Father, that's enough," Zelda's voice called from behind Link. "I told him not to accompany me to the Spring of Courage. I did not find his presence there appropriate. Also, I needed eyes to oversee one of the Divine Beasts. I thought it best to split up our assets and accomplish our tasks faster."

Rhoam stood tall and crossed his arms. "Now Zelda, you are not to be without your knight. I assigned him to you so that you would always be protected no matter when or where."

"But I had Impa with me. I was in good hands, father," she defended.

"It is not simply a matter of good hands, but the fact that his job is not to play errand boy, but it is to stay by your side no matter what. Are we clear?"

She inhaled as if to start shouting, but then released it. "I understand. But do not take it out on him. It was I who gave him directions to not attend to me," she said almost defeated.

"Yes, but he is to follow my orders over yours, and those orders are to stick by your side no matter the circumstance."

"Yes, father," she said softly.

Rhoam then continued on down the hallway.

Link slowly stood and turned to Zelda.

"Ugh, he treats me like such a child," she snipped. She took another deep breath and closed her eyes as she breathed out to calm herself. "I do apologize for his scolding of you. You did just as I asked and you bare no blame…. I will be in my chambers for the rest of the evening, so you make relax for now." Slowly turned with a sigh and made her way back to her room.


	3. The Road to Goron City

For a few days, not much happened around the castle. Link was sure to follow Zelda everywhere she went but her room. And when she did decide to lock herself up with some books for research, Link went out to the training grounds and worked on his sword techniques.

However, it wasn't long before Zelda came to him and said she was leaving to check on a guardian excavation sight near a short ways south of Hyrule castle. Link put on a set of clean clothes and headed out with her. It wasn't much of a walk, and Zelda only talked briefly about the Guardians as they traveled, but overall was silent.

The actual mission wasn't too exciting either. The Sheikah presented all the data they collected on the guardians, which was mostly more information on what they were made out of and a theory as to how they could activate them. This would be so they could study how they worked while actually active. Zelda was deeply intrigued with all the information they gave her, and Link did what he could to mentally keep up. He never did have much schooling beyond the basics, his whole life had been preparing him for being a knight, not a scholar like Zelda was.

After spending the day at the camp Zelda informed Link that they were going to head back out, but not back to Hyrule Castle. Instead, they would have to make a full three day trip on foot to the north. Apparently the north had temperatures would get incredibly hot and the horses wouldn't do well there. So the two made their way by foot.

As the began the journey, Zelda carried her Sheikah slate while she walked, looking at the display of a map of the area. Link had only seen a little of the slate and found it incredibly curious, but never encroached on Zelda's space.

He walked some space behind her as she spoke to herself and stared at the slate.

"From here we make our way to Goron City," she announced. "Then we'll need some adjustments on that Divine Beast so Daruk can manage it as easily as possible. He's figured out how to get it to move…. However it's apparent that we still have much more to learn. But to think, that Divine Beast was actually built by people…" she said amazed. "That means we should be able to understand how it works and how to use it to our advantage…. These Divine Beasts… so much we don't know. But if we want to turn back Calamity Ganon, they're our best hope," she finished with confidence. Then she slowed her step, her shoulders falling. Slowly she lowered the Sheikah slate and came to a stand still. "Tell me the truth," she said almost defeated. "How proficient are you at wielding that sword on your back?"

Link swallowed hard.

"Legend says that an ancient voice resonates inside it. Can you hear it yet… hero?" she challenged, looking back at him.

He inhaled deeply, trying to think of an answer. But his shoulders fell and his gaze turned to the earth.

With no answer, Zelda inflated her chest and pushed forward, turning silent for the rest of the walk.

Link mostly kept his eyes trained on Zelda's feet, forgetting the basics to keep looking to the sides of the road to check for ambushes. He had never heard a voice from the sword. The sword did feel as if it were connected to him in a way; it felt even more like an extension of his arm than even the gifted sword from his own father did. But never had he heard it speak to him officially. The closest he felt was the strange pull towards it back in the Korok forest. Admitting this was something he couldn't bring himself to do. He didn't dare admit his failings, and especially to the Princess—the Princess who worked incredibly hard every day to access her birthright power as well as keep up with the Sheikah and all their research. Sure she had yet to unlock her sealing powers, but she persisted through everything to try and bring that power forth. Meanwhile he couldn't even hear the voice of a sword that never left his side, the sword that lived through generations and generations along side hero after hero. Why had it spoken to them and not him? Was he not meant to be this generations hero? Was he not yet worthy of the sword?

After drowning in his own shortcoming for some time, he did remember to start watching out for thieves just as the sun started to set. Thankfully there were no incidents other than a deer bolting onto the road and briefly startling Zelda.


	4. Shivering Mountain

While in Goron City, the two were given potions so that they wouldn't melt from the insane heat of the volcano. Link never did like potions; he had only ever had sour and bitter common healing potions, but those were delicious compared to liquid lizard and bokoblin guts. Zelda didn't like it much either, but tried not to gripe too much. She worked quickly with Daruk to see what could be done about modifying the Beast. Link stood by to be called upon if needed, but there wasn't much for him to do. Even when some something heavy on the giant lizard needed to be shifted, Daruk easily moved things into place. Link felt that nothing would change if he melted into the floor once the elixir wore off. But he dotted around Zelda patiently as she tinkered with the Beast.

"I think the elixir is starting to ware off," she said wiping sweat from her brow, dampening her sleeve. "It's getting uncomfortably hot again. How do you feel? Should we get another?" she asked Link.

He nodded, wobbling slightly from the heat. He put his hand on Rudania's stone to stabilize himself, but its surface was hot, causing him to recoil. With a deep breath he pushed his hair from his face where it wanted to stick.

"Oh my, you should have said something," she said worried as she looked him up and down. "Well I'll hurry down Rudania to find us fresh elixirs and some water. You and Daruk give the Beast a test run to see if our alterations worked," she said wiping a sweaty hand on her shirt before turning.

"Alright, let's start 'er up!" Daruk called excitedly. "I'll wait until you've cleared the area, Princess," he said moving to the main control console.

"I'll be quick about it." She moved quickly to get back on the ground and jogged off.

Link pulled the cord from his hair to try and retie it up since most of his hair was making him incredibly warm.

Once Daruk was sure Zelda was clear of the area, he started up the Divine Beast. "Yeah! That's what I want to hear!" he called upon hearing the strange echoing call of Rudania. The beast shook slightly then began to move forward. The feet of the creature clawed into the rock below and sputtered with fire from the hot volcanic rock.

"Yeah! I think I'm finally getting the hang of controlling this Divine Beast!" Rudania came to a stop and called out once more, its head turned towards the sky. "Tell ya what… it sure is a blast piloting a toy like this around. Let those other champions know, they better eat their gravel if they want to keep up with Daruk," he called with a smile. "Speaking of which, can you believe this view?" He looked out over the jutting mountains and the volcano. Link didn't notice much that was interesting other than the boiling mountain, but the sweat in his eyes might have had something to do with that.

"Just look at all those delectable rocks sprinkled on those mountains…. Mighty tasty." This made Link wonder if the stone work of the Divine Beast had an interesting flavor. In his heated stupor, he thought of licking it before he came back to his senses. "I may not know a whole lot about this whole Calamity Ganon thing… but mark my words, I'll protect this land of ours to the death." He pulled his massive hand into a tight fist. "Right, little guy!" With a windup, he gave Link a hearty slap on his back, knocking him forward and nearly over as his back cracked in three places at once. He laughed as Link rubbed his back and tried standing up straight again. "Hey, by the way… congrats on becoming the Princess's appointed knight. That's a really big deal, protecting the King's daughter." He let out a brief laugh and put a hand on Link's shoulder. He almost flinched away from his hand, but his reflexes were too delayed. "No pressure! Seriously though. The Princess is a strong personality—so strong that she can't quite see the range for the peaks. Remember that, and you'll be fine. Huh?"

The ground started to rumble and Rudania quivered with it.

"What the—?!"

Once again Link nearly lost his balance, but this time Daruk nearly did too. One of the tall stone peaks next to Rudania gave way, and massive boulders came tumbling down straight for the two of them. Daruk let out a loud shout, thrusting his fist out towards the oncoming rock, creating a glowing, orange forcefield around himself and Link. The chucks of rock shattered upon impact, scattering around them. The energy shield hummed softly for a moment as the rumbling and shaking topped.

"Alright, so what was I saying?" he asked letting the shield dissipate. He turned from link and looked back out at the mountains. "That was a little strange. As far as I know, Death Mountain has been quiet for decades. But if the mountain is shivering enough to send down a bunch of boulders that size then—. Nevermind, forget I said anything." He stared off at the volcano and rubbed his chin for a moment.

Link suddenly thought about Zelda. Was she okay? Did rock break loose and fall on her? Did she lose her balance from the shaking and fall into the lava? What if the ground gave way and swallowed her up? With his mind now spinning, he started to make his way off the Beast.

"Wait a minute, brother." He grabbed Link's hand, nearly crushing is as he was about to jump off Rudania. I'm sure you thinking of Zelda, but I bet she's fine. We'll walk the Beast towards town to help her return quicker." He let go of Link's hand and pushed the Beast into turning so they headed for the city.

Link's mind was clear now with the adrenaline rush. What would happen if she was hurt? Or killed? The kingdom would fall into shambles. The King would be devastated. If Calamity Ganon truly did return, then no one could seal him away.

It was only a moment before they approached Goron City, and Link immediately jumped off Rudania to find Zelda. After hitting the ground and starting into a run, he saw her blue tunic as she exited one of the metal buildings.

"Did you feel that? Was that something Rudania did?" she called quickly. She carried a bottle of gray sludge and two canteens.

Link ran up to her and quickly looked her over to check for wounds, walking around her in search of blood.

"I'm fine," she assured, thrusting the bottle at him. "Drink up." She handed it to him. "One of the Gorons, Bludo I think, pulled me into one of the buildings just as the shaking started."

Satisfied with his look around, he took the bottle and sighed at it before taking a deep breath, popping the cork and downing it in one go. His shriveled at the earthy taste and thick texture.

Zelda let out what was almost a giggle. "Here." She pulled the bottle from his hand and traded it for the canteen as he tried to swallow what remained in his mouth.

He immediately opened it and drank almost half the water then let himself breath again. Already the air started to feel cooler and his head clear.

A bearded Goron came out of the hut and took the bottle from Zelda. "Got plenty more if you need any," he assured.

"Thank you, that's quite kind of you," Zelda said. "Now," she looked to Daruk. "How did it work?"

"Oh it worked amazing!" he boomed. "That thing is moving nice and smooth now."

"Perfect," Zelda said with a smile. "Then I think we're ready to depart."


	5. The Silent Follower

Back at Hyrule Castle, Zelda spent a few days in her studies and a considerable amount of time praying to the goddess. Link was glad that Zelda would tell Link her plans for the following day. And because she usually spent her mornings praying and reading everything she could on the goddess, Link happily slept in.

On the third day of this pattern, when Link finally woke up, ran through a quick work out routine to wake himself up fully, and ate a quick lunch, he went to find Zelda. He first checked her study. No luck. He checked the caves below the castle where a few Guardians were being excavated: not there. He went to Impa who worked with other Sheikah researching the Calamity, but they hadn't seen her since the early morning. Impa mentioned something about Zelda's inquisitions about the Sheikah slate. The group had started to theorize that the slate might be able to open up the odd shrines that laid across the kingdom.

Impa asked Link if anyone else had seen her, but he answered negatively.

"Oh dear," she sighed. "I think I know where she went." She rubbed her face. "I believe she went out to the shrine near the ancient columns across the Tabantha Great Bridge. Not surprised she didn't take you with…."

Link immediately hurried out to the stables without another word. He saw that Malon was gone and Epona antsy to get out. He gave her a reassuring pat before tacking her up and riding on out. It had been a long time since he had run with Epona. He had nearly forgotten the feeling of running with just her. Unfortunately his worry for Zelda lessened his enjoyment of the ride.

After a few hours it was nearly evening when he could see the top of the shine on the hill. He rode up the winding path to the shrine; Epona let out a whinny upon seeing Malon. Link saw Zelda turning towards him from the shrine. With a heavy feeling of relief on his shoulders, he leapt off the horse as she slowed, and he then hurried towards Zelda who had tight lips and narrowed eyes.

"I thought I made it clear that I am not in need of an escort," she scolded heavily while tramping over to him. She put her hands on her hips. "It seems I'm the only one with a mind of my own." She took a breath; "I, the person in question, am fine, regardless of the King's orders. Return to the castle." She started to walk past him. "And tell that to my father, please." She held her head high with closed eyes as she continued to walk by him.

Link watched her closely, feeling torn between his orders. But he knew that it was more important to stay close to her and have her be angry for some reason than for her to be alone and at risk. And so he simply strode forward, walking behind her.

"And stop following me!" she called, turning back to him and staring him down.

He looked at her confused. It was his job to follow her. To go wherever she decided to go. He couldn't figure out why that made her so upset at times.

"Ugh!" she called turning away. "All I ask for is a day of alone time to do some research, and I can't even do that." She mounted Malon, although she struggled thanks to Malon taking more interest in greeting Epona than having a rider. "Come on," she said to the horse before pulling herself up properly.

Link then mounted Epona and waited for Zelda.

She looked at him, clearly seeing his intention to stay by her side. With a deep breath she closed her eyes. "There is a small inn on the other side of the bridge. We will spend the evening there and ride home in the morning. I suppose I shant force you to ride through the night since it is drawing near evening." She held the reins and pushed her boots into Malon so he started walking. Not without an annoyed whinny first however.

Link mounted Epona, giving her a pat on the neck before starting her forward to follow Zelda down the hill. Zelda never once looked back during the hour long trot to the inn. They boarded their horses and went to their shared room. Zelda still kept to herself, preoccupying herself with that strange slate. Usually she was eager to think out loud, but now she was silent as she tapped away on it.

Knowing she'd be hungry, Link went to the main area of the inn and pulled out some food ingredients he kept on him in his magical pouch of holding. Within minutes he cooked up some meat and mushroom skewers and a plate of simmered fruit. He brought them upstairs and offered the food to Zelda.

She seemed to hesitate for a moment, but then took a skewer and the fruit. "Thank you," she said quietly, avoiding his eyes.

Link ate his skewer and proceeded to follow through with his nightly workout routine before going to bed.

Once morning brushed upon their faces through the window, Zelda spoke to him finally.

"So we shall make our way back to the castle, and I'll spend some time with Impa. Then, in a few days, we shall make our way to Gerudo City. Apparently they only allow women in the city, but seeing as you refuse to stop following me, you shall accompany me their and we can stay at the bazaar just outside of the town. I wish to speak with Urbosa and see Naboris. There's a new excavation of Guardians as well. Apparently they have even found a type that flies. I must go and see for myself what they have found," she finished, falling into her usually pattern of thinking aloud. "But right, we should make haste for the castle."


	6. Desert Heat

It was a fair trek southwest. They took it a little slow for the horses, since it was a long journey, and as always, Zelda and Malon were having trouble cooperating. As they went through the rocky canyons, they started to ride on sand as the desert started rather abruptly. Luckily Zelda had brought elixirs for the two of them, but the horses weren't so lucky. She tried getting Malon to drink the deep blue fluid, but she wanted nothing to do with it. At least Epona tried a little from Link and didn't seem to mind it. So she fared much better than Malon who was ready to throw Zelda off his back by the time they finally neared a small oasis.

Once at the small spring, the two horses drank and drank and drank at the small pond while Zelda purchased some more elixirs, and Link secured some hay for the horses.

"I like this small bazaar here," Zelda said handing Link another elixir to keep in his pouch of holding. The spring is certainly beautiful, and there are a number of traders here for any need." She looked at the shimmering water that rippled from the horses thirsty lips. "What a funny rock," she said looking across the spring where a large rock jutted out from the earth and sat top heavy with some clothes lines strung up on it. She took the Sheikah slate from her hip and captured the likeness of the spring and the rock. Link was just as amazed as always by the Sheikah Slate. She put it back on her hip.

"Well," she said with a breath. "I shall make my way to Gerudo Town proper, but you will have to stay here. The city doesn't allow any 'voe' within its walls." She turned at him and frowned. "Don't give me that look. There's nothing for me to do but follow the rules. And you wouldn't want to break any rules, would you."

He blinked in confusion. While, yes, he was unhappy about not being at her side, but he didn't think it showed in her face.

"I will return here in the evening once I've finished my work with Urbosa. Understood?" She put a hand on her hip and looked at him.

He nodded, giving up.

"Good. And I am going to leave our mounts in your care. I do not think Malon will ever let me ride him again if I push him through the desert right now. It shall be a fair length walk to the city, but not too terrible I think, not with an elixir to keep me cool. And because it is through desert, there will be no places for foes to try and ambush me, since I see and understand your concern in me walking alone," she went on, still somehow reading Link's face. "I have also taken care of our rooms, so you don't have to concern yourself with that. And if you could see about rising the horses off, I'm sure they would appreciate that." She stretched her shoulders and took a breath. "So I shall see you this evening."

He nodded once more.

She turned and made her way into the desert.

Link wasn't happy about the arrangement, but rules of the land unfortunately kept him from the King's rules at this point. So he tried to occupy himself with the horses. He took care of their tack and wiped off what sweat he could. And while they ate some hay in the shade, he found a bucket and started pouring cool water on them. The two greatly appreciated it as they both nuzzled him when his rinsed their heads.

Just as the sun was setting, after he had properly tied up the horses, someone came to him with a letter apparently from Urbosa.

"Hey knight, come to Vah Naboris on the opposite side of Gerudo. Your Princess is here waiting for you." It was signed with Urbosa's name.

He read the note and worried for Zelda's condition. He stuffed it in his bag and immediately started for the town.

"Whoa, hold on there, voe," an older Gerudo woman said. "First of all, you can't charge into a desert night like that. It gets plenty cold out there. And two, I'm not sure where you're headed in such a hurry, but I think I can help. Ever hear of a sand seal?" she asked with a smile.

And the next thing Link knew was that he was paying to rent a massive, brown seal and tying himself to it after drinking a spicy elixir to fight off the freezing night air.

"It's all in the hips. Don't worry, you'll get the hang of it," she assured after he immediately face planted into the sand. "Be sure to lean back when you start off. Prevents the shield from just digging into the sand."

He had tried surfing on a shield down a snowy hill once or twice with some success, but being pulled from the waist while was different. After spitting out some sand and shaking out his hair, he stood on the shield once more. With a "ha!" the seal took off once again.

This time he leaned back on the shield, keeping the front in the just above the sand. And somehow he didn't face plant again.

"There you go!" the Gerudo called from a distance. "Good luck, voe!"

And so Link was off into the cool night air of the desert being pulled by a massive seal. It swam through the sand somehow without displacing it.

He did still trip up two or three times, but the seal always waited patiently for him to get situated before swimming off again.

It wasn't long before he came to the massive stone camel known as Naboris. It stood tall in sand and glowed softly. Link made his way up the Beast and found Ubrosa and Zelda on one of the upper decks. The two were sitting on a woven blanket with some pillows. Zelda sat leaned into Urbosa's shoulder.

Slowly he approached them.

"Ah, well…" Urbosa said turning her head to look at him. "You certainly got here fast. I should have expected as much from the Princess's appointed knight." She looked down at Zelda who was clearly asleep. "She was out on a survey all day today. Still as the sands now," she said looking at her. She then looked to Link with a sharp look. "So…? Spill it boy. Have the two of you been getting along alright?"

Link tried to think about how to respond, but she chuckled before he had time.

"It's okay, I know. Your silence speaks volumes."

He wondered what that meant.

"She gets frustrated every time she looks up and sees you carrying that sword on your back." Her eyes trailed to the Princess again. "It makes her feel like a failure when it comes to her own destiny. Don't worry. It's not like you carry blame in any of this."

He still shifted and swallowed hard, still feeling guilty.

"It's unfortunate. She's put in more than enough time. Ever since she was a young girl, she's gone through rigorous daily routines to show her dedication…. She once passed out in the freezing waters trying to access this sealing power. And she has nothing to show for it…. That's the motivation driving her research. I'd be doing the same thing. She really is quite special." Gently she brushed a lock of hair from Zelda's face, tucking it behind her ear. "You be sure to protect her with your life." She looked at Link with a sharp but promising look. "It's quite the honor." She looked out to the night and Link followed her gaze. "The night brings a chill…. It's probably time we take her in. Hmm. Or…." She looked to a funny shaped helm sitting at her feet. She raised her hand and snapped her fingers. A loud strike of lightning erupted in the desert. Zelda jolted awake and looked around frantically and Link nearly lost his footing he was started so bad.

"Urbosa! What was that?!" she called. "Did you feel that?" She sat up and looked back to see Link. "Wait, what—How did you—what are you doing here?"

Urbosa let out a joyous laugh, throwing her head back.

"W-what's so funny?"

She managed to stifle her laugh. "It's nothing to worry about, dear." She stood, taking the thunder helm with her. "We should get inside. Don't want you to freeze out here."

"What about Link? I wouldn't like to send him out in the desert so late," she said glancing at him.

"No, don't worry," Urbosa said. "Although I'm sure he could handle himself with any monsters or rogues raving in the nighttime, no, he'll stay in the palace. I have an entrance outback. No one will be aware of his presence other than a guard or two, and they'll certainly not oppose me. How does that sound?" She looked to Link.

He nodded, liking that he'd not be leaving Zelda here or taking her across the freezing and dark desert.

Urbosa lead the two of down from Naboris and through the sands towards Gerudo Town. Zelda asked why Link had come and Urbosa explained that she didn't want her to make the trip across the desert while so exhausted, so she sent a message to Link so he could remain at her side just as a loyal knight should.

And just as Urbosa said, Link was allowed into the palace after the guard promised not to tell a soul. Some of the guards helped get Zelda to bed and then brought Link to the small room next to hers. One guard sort of stared at him, as if trying to examine his whole physique. He wasn't sure if she was more interested in him being a voe or Hylian. But he didn't linger long, and soon found himself fast asleep in bed.

The following morning he was awoken by Urbosa's strong voice telling him to get up.

"Here's a little gift from the people of Gerudo," she said with a smile, dropping onto his chest what looked to be clothes. "I'm sure your Princess would like to actually see some of Gerudo before leaving, so you'll want to wear these." She then strode out of the room, confidence in every step.

Rubbing his eyes against the morning light, he picked up the bundle of clothes and examined them. They were lightweight and baggy it seemed. There was even some kind of veil.

Only after Link put them on did he realize their purpose. With the top that exposed his tight belly, baggy pants, and a veil to cover his mouth and nose, he looked quite feminine. He actually quite enjoyed how he looked in the new clothes, taking time to check himself over and fix his hair before stepping out into the halls. He found Zelda in her room having just dressed and now eating some slices of hydromelon.

"Oh hello, do you know if my companion has woken yet?" she asked only glancing at him. With a slice of melon in one hand and the Sheikah slate in the other, she paced across the room. "He greatly enjoys sleeping his whole day away, but I would like to get moving. I might take some time in the market first, but if he wakes and I'm missing, I know he'll follow me into the market, and we certainly can't have that…" she went on.

Link watched her, slightly amused.

She paused after noticing how closely she was being watched. "Wait… are you…?" She turned to him and met his eyes then saw the Master Sword on his back. "Oh Link! I didn't recognize you!" she called. "Apologies, you do make for a beautiful young vai," she chuckled lightly.

He couldn't help but actually blush a little.

She smiled warmly. "Should have put you in women's clothing long ago." She then sighed. "But I do suppose this means you're able to follow me into town…. Alright, that's fine I suppose," she said with a deep breath. "I do not expect to take too long. It is a fair ride back to the castle, and we need to return to Kara Kara Bazaar first for out mounts…." She went on, back to talking to herself. She went on about their route home, what she wanted to see in town, about talking with Urbosa, and perhaps stopping by Naboris one more time.

Link listened attentively and went with her into town.


	7. The Honor of Protection

After Zelda spent a little time in the market of Gerudo, she spoke with Urbosa for some time and did decide to return to Naboris once more for some finalizing on their ideas.

"Link, do you think you could go and prepare our mounts? I shouldn't be too long," she said after agreeing with Urbosa to go to the Beast.

He felt uneasy about leaving her be.

"I'll be fine," she assured him with a sigh. "I'll be with Urbosa, and the walk to the oasis isn't even that far. I have one more elixir for the heat as well."

He still paused.

"Go on," she urged.

"I've got her back," Urbosa said, putting a hand on her shoulder.

He nodded and turned, hoping this wasn't a mistake. Still in the vai clothing, he rented a sand seal from a vendor and made his way back to the bazaar, and he only fell off the shield once.

After arriving, he checked on the horses, made sure they ate and drank plenty of water, rinsed them off once more, and fully tacked them up.

Figuring Zelda would arrive soon, he also changed back into his usual blue tunic, packing away the vai clothing in his magical bag of holding. He then waited outside near the water under a palm tree. There were a few other people around, some vendors and some travelers.

"Now I swear this person walking past me vanished in a puff of smoke," a young man said as he came into the bazaar and spoke to the guard. "I passed them and thought I heard something. But when I looked they were gone! Just a faint bit of smoke."

"Probably just sand," one of the vendors called out annoyed.

"I dunno, but it was weird."

"The heat's getting to you, I have plenty of potions and elixirs to help with that," another vendor said.

Link immediately jumped to his feet and started for the path. He hurried, doing his best to move quickly through the sand. As he continued to run, ahead to him he could see some figures distorted by the heat. A sharp cry rang out and Link knew it was Zelda. He narrowed his eyes, pushing himself to run faster as his feet pushed into the sand.

Zelda fell to the ground with one masked Yiga behind her and two closing in from the front of her. She breathed heavily and looked around frantically, trying to moved away from them.

One Yiga raised their scythe and struck down just as Link grabbed the hilt of the Master Sword. As he drew the sword with a quick lunge, he slashed up on the chest of Yiga and hooked the scythem throwing it into the air. The Yiga fell to the ground, and the scythe soon after.

He stood defensively in front of Zelda in a wide stance, his sword at the ready. He steadied his breath, preventing hyperventilation. The other two Yiga relax their shoulders and slowly stepped back.

There was a moment of silence, the wind blowing sand around. Link could feel sand sticking to his sweat.

Then one of the Yiga lunged forward at Link, but he stepped to the side and struck him down. Then his left shoulder jolted forward, the Yiga's scythe hooked into him. As they pulled it back and went for another attack, Link turned to them and slashed down with his sword, cutting their hand badly.

They stepped back and put their hands together before vanishing with a puff. Link relaxed slowly, sheathing his sword.

Zelda let out a relieved sigh. "Thank you," she breathed.

He then knelt down and looked her over for wounds.

"I'm uninjured, but you are," she said with a look of worry. She stood and brushed herself off. "Let's fix you up," she said looking at the blood now soaking his tunic.

He looked at it and pressed it with his hand. It was now really starting to sting and throb.

"You should have a healing elixir in your bag." She opened the satchel at Link's hip and pulled out a bottle with a sloshing red liquid in it. "Here, drink up." She held it to him.

He hesitated. The elixirs in his bag were meant for Zelda should she ever be injured.

"Oh come on," she begged. "I'm perfectly fine. And you know…" she said changing her tone with a smile. "If your injured you cannot protect me as well." She held it in front of his face.

He sighed. She had a point. He took the bottle, uncorked it, and downed it. He was unfortunately too familiar with the sharp bitterness.

Slowly the blood stopped flowing and the wound did close up. He let out a deep breath as the pain faded.

"Good." She took his arm and looked his shoulder over, checking to see that it was fully healed. "You look okay," she said in relief. "We should get back to the bazaar."

Link adjusted the blood soaked sleeve on his arm and followed Zelda to the little oasis. There he pulled off his tunic and used an empty bottle to pour water on the sullied fabric. Zelda stood back and watched him rinse out the blood, managing to get just about all of it out. He then rinsed off his shoulder and arm. Zelda went to check on the horses as Link put the tunic back on. It was still wet, but with the desert sun, it didn't feel too bad, and it would be dry soon.

They each mounted their horses and headed off at a quicker pace. Zelda was anxious to get back to the castle, likely from the attack of the Yiga. She didn't speak much on the ride back, didn't even find something to complain about. Link did enjoy the silence. He focused on Epona and how good it felt to ride with her.

Epona always helped him to relax him. With all the changes going on in his life recently, having something constant like the affection of his mount helped him get by. He enjoyed the rush of the saddle again. Zelda, however, was having a difficult time with Malon. He had a temper and would get fussy when Zelda took the reins. Once they were on a steady path, he calmed for a while until he grew tired and simply stopped walking. Zelda seemed used to this behavior and simply sighed before sliding off the saddle and deciding to take a rest.

Even when they returned by dusk, Zelda was still quiet. Link worried that the Yiga scared her, but he couldn't bring himself to ask. It was the first time he found himself really wanting to try and converse her, but as per usual, he couldn't find himself to. With Zelda back in her room, Link took care of the mounts and went about his usual training routines before falling asleep.


	8. Words and Fears

Slowly he opened his eyes to see Zelda staring over him as he laid sprawled out on the floor wearing nothing but a pair of shorts and his blanket haphazard around him. He yawned and rubbed his face. Realizing he was on the floor he tried to think of why.

"Good morning," she said with a chuckle.

Oh, that's right, he was working on sit ups and decided to rest his eyes for a minute. He must have fallen asleep, and he must have woken up at some point just enough to grab his blanket.

"There are better places to sleep on the ground, you know," she said smiling.

He chuckled nervously as he sat up slowly.

"I was hoping you wouldn't mind having some breakfast with me this morning. But you still hadn't woken up yet, so I decided to wait until noon."

Brushing some hair out of his face, he could feel how much of a mess it was. He had left it tied up, but now more than half his hair had fallen from the tie and now stuck up in random places.

"I'll let you have some privacy." She turned and exited.

He rubbed his face unsure of what she was really wanting. But he slowly got up with a big stretch. First, he washed himself clean of the dirt and sweat from his workout last night, then did his best to quell his mess of hair, and finally put some clothes on.

When he stepped out from his room, he was surprised to see Zelda there waiting for him.

"I realized we've never truly shared a proper meal together." She started to walk down the hall and Link followed her as usual. "We have had a few meals on the road, but you always make something for me first, so we're not really eating together. I thought it would be nice to have a proper meal, you know." She looked back at him with a smile.

He found himself confused at her positive attitude and desire to be friendly with him.

"Quiet as ever," she chuckled and lead on. She brought him into a small banquet hall where only two place settings were at one end of the table. "Go on, sit," she encouraged as he simply stood by as she took her seat.

He obeyed and stepped around the table, slowly taking a seat across from her. He worried if she was going to try to get him to speak. This wasn't the first time someone sat him down in a desperate attempt to get him to talk. A few other knights tried doing the same thing. All with their different ways: some forceful, some provocative, some simple. It never worked, however; and most of them left irritated. He let himself appeared unbothered. He looked down at the fancy plates and all the silverware. If he hadn't spent so much time around royalty these days, he'd have no idea why there were so many forks, but luckily he had seen Zelda eat a fancy meal here and there.

Thankfully, Zelda didn't try prompting anything out of Link but instead called for the chef. He soon burst through the doors with a large silver platter in hand.

"And here we are!" he called. "Some wonderful salt-grilled prime meat and sauteed mushrooms. And I will bring out some fruit cake for dessert, just call for me once more when you're, your Highness," he said setting down a plate in front of each.

Link's eyes went wide just from smelling the food. His mouth was already watering by the time his plate hit the table. It took a lot of restraint not to just dig in with his hands.

"Thank you, it looks perfect," Zelda assured.

The chef then went back in the kitchen.

Link looked over at Zelda, waiting.

"Go on," she chuckled. "Eat." She picked up her fork and knife and slowly began to cut a piece.

He dove right into the juicy meat, eating nearly twice as fast as the Princess. The flavor was so rich, Link wasn't sure he'd ever had a meal taste so good. His fork tore at the meat, not even needing the knife as he quickly devoured it. Even the mushrooms were cooked perfectly and complemented the steak's flavor and texture. He did try to slow down when he was almost finished. He felt that he shouldn't finish way before Zelda did.

In the end, he ate everything off the plate, But Zelda wasn't quite able to finish.

"I see you know a good meal when you see one," she said.

He nodded and gave a smile. He wondered about how to say thank you to her.

Again she called for the chef and he brought in two slices of fruit cake, replacing their old plates with the new before going out again.

"Fruit cake is one of my favorites. Especially with wildberries." She took her fork and happily took a small bite.

Once again it was a lesson in restraint for Link not to shove it all in his mouth immediately. He did his best to keep the bites on the smaller side, savoring its creamy and tart flavor.

"So… I have to ask you, Link…" she started slowly, running her fork through some of the frosting. "Why is it you talk so little?"

Link froze, a large bite of cake now stuffed in his mouth, forcing his cheeks to puff a little.

"I don't mean to make you nervous, truly. I wish to understand you, Link. After…." She took a deep breath and set the fork down. "I realized after what happened yesterday that I haven't been very fair to you. And I want to apologize for that. I've shouted at you, complained to and about you, I've dragged you all around Hyrule, and I've not heard a word pass through your lips. Not a single complaint or gripe. It's astounding, really…. But after all I've done to you, you still ran to save me, throwing all concern of your life away into the sand so you could protect me…." She sighed. "I thought it would be fair of me to speak with you for once, and not tell you what to do."

He managed to swallow the cake and then drank some water.

"I do understand if you do not wish to speak to me, but if you could please tell me…." She looked at him with inquisitive but warm eyes. "I mean, I realize I do not even know what your voice truly sounds like. And I don't find that very appropriate for me to take you for granted like I have.

With a hard swallow and a deep breath, he closed his eyes. If anyone at all deserved words, it was Zelda. Anyone else and he'd simply shake his head if they insisted on verbal communication. "I-… it's… it's… d-diff— it's diffic-cult," he managed.

"Is it that you see me too unapproachable? Is that you are afraid?"

He shook his head. "T-to speak…. Difficult… to s-s-speak." He swallowed again and opened his eyes, meeting hers.

"Oh." Her eyes went wide and she sat up. "Physically? Because I have heard you certainly make vocal noises before, in particular when you fight."

"M-m." He sighed and closed his eyes. "Mental."

"It's difficult for you mentally?"

He nodded.

"Oh, well now I apologize for causing you strain," she said in a serious tone.

With a sigh he set his fork down and signed with his hands.-I sign with my hands. If I must speak.-

"Um…." She blinked. "Could you do that one more time, please?"

He signed once more. -I sign with my hands. If I must speak.- And he waited for her to ask what he was doing.

"Sign… hands… speak…" she said, watching his hands with an inquisitive look.

Link looked at her surprised. -You understand?-

She mimicked him, but opposite, pointing to him after signing understand. -Understand you.-

His face lit up and he smiled.

"I do know a few signs," she said sheepishly, "but not much. Many I can figure out from how the signs look, but I'm not very good at it. I'm sorry." She looked at him sadly. "I hadn't realized you could only sign words."

-I don't have much to say,- he signed slowly.

"Sorry… one more time?" she asked with a worried look. He had never seen her look so sheepish and apologetic before.

"You… little… say. You don't say much? Yes, I have noticed," she said with a light chuckle.

He shook his head and spelled out -T-o s-a-y.-

"Ah, the alphabet is something I do remember. Okay. So you mean you have little to say?"

He nodded.

"Why do you say that?"

He shrugged and repeated. -I don't have much to say.-

"Hm. Well if you ever want to talk… well, sign… then I would be happy to hear what you do have so say," she said with a warm smile. "I do hope we can become friends."

Her smile brought a warmth to his chest and caused him to smile in return. He nodded.

"Good. Maybe we could share another meal together some time," she suggested then took another bite her pie.

He lit up even more at the prospect of another delicious meal.

She chuckled lightly. "I shall take that as a yes, then."

He nodded happily.

"I'm glad." She took another bite. "I don't have any exciting plans for today," she said after swallowing. "I might go into Castle Town, however. I used to have a maid who used sign language. That's how I learned the little I do know. I could certainly use a refresher course."

Link smiled warmly at her. Never before had someone offered to learn how to communicate with him. Even his own father had been reluctant. And with a smile he went back to eating and quickly finished the pie.

"You needn't attend with me, but I'm sure you will anyways."

He nodded slowly, unsure of how she'd respond.

"I thought as much," she said simply. "It is your job," she sighed.

Quietly he just sat.

She finished her plate and stood. "Let's go."

For the rest of the day, Zelda spent some time with a woman in castle town with Link at her side, working on being able to read signs. After, they returned to the castle and Zelda spent the evening in her study, and Link went through his usual routines.

And that was how the following few days would go into town and then spend time looking through the documents that the Sheikah brought her: reports on their recent findings.

Things changed pace when they received a letter from Daruk. He wanted to show Zelda his progress with Rudania and asked her to come to Goron City. Ever intrigued by the Divine Beasts, Zelda packed up her notes and started back on the road with Link.

He hadn't been too happy about going back to Goron City, the constant heat and need for the elixirs wasn't all that exciting. But when Zelda said that she would pick up some bottles of Goron Spice to bring home, he perked up.

In the morning, the two set off on their mounts for Eldin. Zelda talked a fair amount to Link, mostly complaining about the pushing and prodding of her father to stop looking into every new detail discovered about the guardians and Divine Beasts. She went on this for a while, talking about how fascinated she was by the history of Hyrule, about how many times the story of "the Great Hero" was told, although only pieces of accounts were known. But most of her time recounting and commenting on history was saved for the guardians.

Link listened, walking alongside her, but still remained silent.

As they neared the first mountains of Eldin, Link looked out and could see something moving atop a shallow mountain. He held up his hand and slowed Epona.

"What? Do you see something?" Zelda asked, slowing Malon, but he stopped a little hard, giving her a light jolt.

He pointed to what looked to be a curved white horn.

"What is it? Some kind of monster, I presume."

He looked at her. -Stay here,- he signed, dismounting Epona.

"Be careful," she warned, eying the mountain.

Link jogged up to the cliff side and found some footholds to start scaling it. When he reached the top, he poked his head over to see what lay in wait. His eyes went wide as three lynels were bashing heads with one another. All three with white coats and dark stripes. Around them was a large group of red bokoblins grunting and rallying them on.

One lynel rammed into the other, throwing it off its feet with its horns. It fell to the ground motionless.

Link swallowed hard.

Another lynel started sniffing the air and turned to look directly at Link and pulled a bow off its back.

He immediately leaped up onto the cliff and drew his sword.

The beast snorted and fired an ice arrow directly at him. But with a shout Link swung his sword through the air and broke the arrow.

All the bokoblins grunted and called out and the two lynels pulled out their swords. One of them charged at Link, its sword outstretched and eyes glaring. Link held his ground. Just as the lynel was about to strike him, he thrust his sword up into its chest. It let out a horrible roar and reeled back its sword to swing down at him as he withdrew his blade. Link strafed right and gave the creature a fury of blows as it followed through on its swing. And with one last thrust into the creature's chest, it roared and collapsed.

Link's body suddenly tensed up as shock waves of electricity coursed through him. When the intense pain subsided, he picked up his sword and readied his stance.

The lynel notched another arrow, electricity crackling around it. With swift feet, Link dodged the arrow and its shock radius as he charged to flank the beast, managing a good swing on its side before it traded back its bow for its sword and shield, catching one of Link's blows.

As the lynel swung, Link quickly jumped back and managed to duck under one of the swings to gain advantage for a moment, striking its chest multiple times before strafing again and meeting the creature's gaze.

It jumped back and took a deep breath. Link sheathed his sword and started running around it as it launched a massive fireball at him. As he dodged the first, he heard a bokoblin start to call out in pain and try to put out the flames on its body. After dodging two more fireballs and making it to its flank again, he leaped upon its back and drew his sword. The lynel leaped and flailed and kicked as Link just started slashing into its back until it bucked him off. He landed hard on one of his knees but ran at it again and thrust his sword deep into its chest with the momentum of running. As it roared out in pain, it swung down, slashing at Link's arm, tearing into his right bracer and into his flesh. Gritting his teeth, Link pushed in farther, twisting his blade until the creature fell to the ground.

The bokoblins all started letting out battle cries and charged in on Link. He outstretched his sword and took two breaths before spinning his whole body and blade around, knocking a number of bokoblins to the ground. A few more rushed him and with a few swings of his sword, they fell around him as well, leaving him alone on the cliff.

He breathed heavily in exhaustion, falling to the ground on his butt to catch his breath as he now sat surrounded by fallen creatures.

"Link!" Zelda called after a moment.

He started to get up but then saw her climb over the cliff.

"Oh my!" she called looking at all of the creatures and scattered weapons. "D-did you befell all of them?" she asked in astonishment.

-Not that one,- he sighed, pointing to one of the lynels.

She shook her head and smiled. "'Not that one.' Of course you discredit yourself so easily." Her eyes settled on his arm. "Let me see that, you're injured." She knelt down next to him to inspect the wound. Taking his arm in her hands, she pulled out a cloth from her bag and wiped the wound clean. "That cut doesn't look too bad, actually. You're fine, for now." She then looked at him. "But you know, there's a fine line between courage and recklessness. As brave as you are, that does not make you immortal." She relaxed her shoulders and turned her gaze to all the monsters surrounding them.

She spoke with a tone of seriousness. "It seems that, not only has the frequency of these types of attacks on the rise… but the scale of beasts we are facing is intensifying as well." She drew back. "I fear that—I fear that this is an omen which portends the return of Calamity Ganon." She pushed herself to stand and brushed off her backside. "And, if that's the case, I'm ready to expect the worst," she said definitively. "We'll need to make preparations as soon as possible." She turned as Link stood to follow.

The two came to the slope of the cliff.

"We will still continue on to Goron City, but we shall only remain there for one night. Then we head home to the castle and work from there." She slowly started to descend the cliff face and Link followed her closely, watching her to make sure she didn't slip.

Managing to climb down faster than her, he took her hand to help her move her feet to solid ground.

"Thank you," she said brushing her hands off from the dust. "And thank you for taking care of those beasts. If you hadn't seen them, they might have shot at us from up there."

He nodded.

She hoisted herself up into Malon's saddle and Link mounted Epona.

"I do have to say, your fighting skills truly are impeccable," she said looking over at him. "Not anyone could knock down two silver lynels and all those bokoblins there."

-Knights are trained to be capable,- he signed, doing his best to still hold the reins, although he knew Epona wouldn't jolt anywhere.

"Well of course they are, but I'm not talking about them, I'm talking about you. Oh brave hero," she stressed with a soft smile. "I think you should start taking credit for your efforts as they are quite outstanding."

Link couldn't help but blush a little. -But even more is expected of me.-

"Well damn those who do," she said strongly. "I'm sorry," she said quickly.

-Everyone expects great things out of me. I do what I must.-

She sighed. "I sure know that feeling…."

-So I can't let myself be satisfied with anything.-

"But you should. If you don't stop for a moment to see how far you've come… well, you might get lost along the way. And you can't charge blindly anywhere simply because people want better of you."

He kept his head down. -We should keep moving. We want to beat the sun.- he nudged Epona forward and rubbed his arm where his bracer was missing from the wound.

Zelda sighed softly. "I'm sorry if I made you upset," she said quietly as she followed.

And soon they made their way into Goron City.

Daruk was happy to see the two and showed them what he learned about what how to operate the actual weapon mechanisms of Beast. Zelda paid close attention and talked with him about it for a good while. By the time they were finished, it was late. Link found a meat salesman and purchased something for Zelda and himself.

Zelda spent most of the evening making notes about the Beast and thinking out loud to Link. Eventually, she did decide to go to sleep, but only because she realized her talking put him to sleep first.

Deep into the night, Link woke up with his skin nearly burning and sweat dripping off him. Quickly he rummaged through his things and pulled out a fireproof elixir. He downed it in two gulps before sighing in relief, already feeling his body start to cool off.

Looking over at Zelda, she looked to be sweating profusely as well while she tossed and turned. Link pulled out another elixir and got out of the bed. Gently he tapped her hand but she squirmed away. He took it again and squeezed it, giving it a light shake.

With a gasp, Zelda's eyes flew open and she retreated her whole body to the head of the bed. "Oh," she breathed upon seeing Link's startled face. She rubbed her sweaty face and pushed her hair back as it tried to stick to her cheeks.

He looked at her worriedly and held out the elixir.

"Oh, thank you." She took it and quickly drank it. "That's better," she breathed. She set the empty bottle on the ground beside the bed and took a few deep breaths, rubbing her face again. "I had the most frightful dream."

Link watched her.

"It was… well, something horrible happened to you because of me…" she said looking up at him.

His shoulders fell as he looked upon her sympathetically. He placed a hand on her shoulder with a light squeeze, assuring her he was still her and that something like that wouldn't happen.

"Thank you," she sighed. "Sorry if I woke you… and thank you for the elixir. I was nearly burnt to a crisp."

-Try to get some rest,- he signed, turning to go back to the other bed.

"And you as well." She laid back down.


	9. Smelling the Roses

The following morning Zelda decided to change their plans a little. If they were to really start preparing for a return of Calamity Ganon, she would want to make sure all four champions knew as much about the Beasts as possible. And now with the knowledge of how to operate the weapon mechanisms originally used to defeat Calamity Ganon, she wanted to personally go and speak to the champions. Since she hadn't seen Revali and Medoh in the longest time, they would first make their way West to the Rito Village first.

After a day and a half of near-nonstop travel, Zelda decided to call it time for a break. They stopped on the hill in a nice open pasture. Link brought out some of the food he had with him and gave it to her while he took to attending the horses. He brushed them down and gave them each a few apples and carrots. They happily ate from his hands and nuzzled him.

When he came to sit down by Zelda, he noticed she had yet to eat.

Catching his glance she answered his question. "I wanted to wait for you," she said simply.

He smiled and sat with his legs crossed and pulled out some fried greens to munch on.

"I don't understand how you get those horses to love you so much. Sure I understand Epona: you've known her for a long time. But Malon…. He doesn't even wish to let me feed him some days," she said picking up her plate food.

He shoved some food in his mouth, freeing his hands.-You have to be sure to take the time to sooth your mount.-

"Sooth him?"

He nodded and took another bite. -Stroke him when he follows your orders, pat him when you're about to mount, and brush him after to thank him. That's the only way he will know how you truly feel.-

"Hm." She looked over at Malon who was chewing grass. "I do suppose I'll give it a try."

-I've always been the one to take care of our horses back home. So I got quite good at working with them.-

Zelda smiled as she payed close attention to his hands as they moved quickly.

-Epona and I became fast friends. I sign to her a lot. I know she can't read my hands, but it still helps, and I do feel as if she understands in a way.- He took another big bite.

"I'm sure she at least understands your feelings, at least it certainly appears that way. What is it you usually discuss with her?" she said leaning forward a little, nibbling on her food.

He stuffed a large piece of carrot in his mouth. -What I'm frustrated or concerned about—which consists of much.-

"What is it you've to worry? You're the 'Great Chosen Hero' as declared by the sword." She leaned back with a puzzled look on her face.

He swallowed and sighed. -There is so much at stake here with the threat of Calamity Ganon…. I feel like everyone I pass is staring me down, waiting for me to fail….I can't let myself be happy in front of them or they will say I shouldn't be satisfied. If they see me angry, they say I need to control myself. If they see me sad, they tell me I should be happy about my role. And so I hold it in like a fairy in a bottle to keep them from saying anything…. On the days it's too difficult I go on rides with Epona to nowhere. And I complain to her, and she nuzzles me for some more apples and then brings me home.-

"Oh Link…" she breathed. "I… I never realized…."

He just shook his head and slowly finished his food.

"I want you to know you're allowed to discuss anything with me," she said sincerely.

He breathed slowly and sat back thinking.

"Might I ask you something?" she started slowly.

He looked up at her.

"Did you talk in your younger days? As a child? Or have you always had trouble?"

-I did talk some, but I was always quiet. But after coming upon the Master Sword a few years ago—that's when people started to put all that pressure on me…. I learned to hold my tongue in training and soon how to hold it around my father who saw me as nothing but a sword…. Eventually the mental strain took hold. My father grew increasingly frustrated with me…. And it wasn't until I met an old man that I learned of signing. He taught me everything I know. And so I never need to talk anymore.-

Her gaze turned soft and somber. "I see… I'm sorry to hear that… but I am glad that you are telling me this. Thank you," she said assuringly.

He smiled just slightly and finished his food.

Zelda sighed softly and finished her food as well. She then pulled the Sheikah slate from her hip and looked at the map briefly to check on their course then looked at the image replication device. "I do love capturing images with this." She took a picture of some periwinkle flowers. "Let's see if I can take one of a butterfly." She looked through the tablet. "There's one!" She snapped a photo that mostly was comprised of flowers. "Oh, and another!" The slate clicked again as she focused then on the flowers. "The flowers we have in Hyrule aren't just beautiful…." Another photo. "They're also quite useful as ingredients for a variety of things." Click. Click. Then she paused and smiled softly. "This one here is called the Silent Princess. It's a rare endangered species." She put the slate back on her hip and slowly moved on her knees towards the blue and white flower. She gently touched its petals.

Link crawled froward on his hands as well to get a better look at the stark blue stain in the center, contrasting against he pure, white petals.

"Despite out efforts, we can't get them to grow domestically yet. The Princess can only thrive out here, in the wild." She sat back and looked out to the field. "All that we can hope… is that the species will be strong enough to prosper on its own." She looked back at the flower then gasped before pushing herself forward, pouncing on something. "Oh! Is that what I think it is?!" She peaked in her fingers. "It is! Look at this!" She turned to Link and waddled on her knees towards him with her hands cupped together, hiding something. "I don't believe it, I actually caught one! This delicacy is known to have very, very potent effects under the proper circumstances." Lifting her top hand she revealed a green frog with orange feet. "Tada! Research from the castle shows ingesting one of these can actually augment certain abilities," she said quickly with excitement. "We wouldn't be in a controlled environment out here, but with your level of physical fitness…" she went on thinking aloud, "you'd be a perfect candidate for the study!" The frog croaked as she thrust it towards Link. "Go on!"

He recoiled back in surprise.

"Taste it!" It hopped a little and croaked again.

He pulled back again, but seeing the bright smile on Zelda's face made him relax and smile a little in return. Slowly he looked down at the Hot-Footed Frog and held out his hands.

"I can't remember the precise methods of acquiring its abilities, but I do know it had to do with ingesting. Similar to those fireproof potions we've had in Goron City. Those are made with very special lizards."

Its big yellow eyes stared into Links as he really thought about what he was about to do. Glancing back up at Zelda's bright smile, he took a deep breath and licked down the frogs back.

"Oh!" she called in surprise.

He immediately recoiled back at the slime and bitter dirt taste of the creature. The frog croaked and quickly escaped his hands, clearly not enjoying the experiment.

"I didn't…" she said stifling a giggle. "I didn't mean for you to truly lick it!" she laughed.

He shook his head vigorously as his face scrunched up. -But you told me to!-

She tried to quell her laugh. "I'm sorry," she said with a hand over her mouth. "I had no reason to believe you would actually do it!"

Picking up a bottle of water he quickly gulped it down then relaxed. -Well you wanted to test it.-

"That didn't mean…" she sighed with a smile. "I do suppose it is my fault…. But…" she trailed with a smile. "Do you feel anything? Different at all?" she asked with big eyes.

He paused to think. -My heart is beating faster.-

"That could be from the shock of actually tasting a frog…" she said thinking. "Hm. I'll have to find out if anyone back at the castle has researched them recently." Link could see her mind was already spinning with ideas and theories.

-Perhaps we should get moving. Before you make me lick a flower or a butterfly.-

She chuckled. "That's probably best."


	10. Care

As they continued on to the Rito Village, Link helped show Zelda how to properly care for Malon, showing her proper brushing techniques and his favorite spots to be scratched. And as they drew closer to their destination, he complained to her about how Revali had acted around him. Zelda was unsure what to think going into their meeting with the Rito Champion, but after their short meeting with him (he explained that after their explanation, he would be able to figure out the rest on his own), they left the village, she explained that she now understood. Clearly he felt inferior because Link was the chosen one, not him.

They then made their way back to Hyrule castle where they spent a night, gathered supplies, and headed back out East and then they slowly made their way up and around to the Zora's domain. Link was happy to see the sparkling blue domain for the first time in at least a year.

Some of the Zora waved, recognizing him as they walked up to the throne room to talk to King Dorephan.

"Good to see you Princess Zelda, and it's always a pleasure to have you back in our domain, Link," he said in a deep voice.

He bowed to him as Zelda stepped up.

"Thank you King Dorephan, we have stopped by to check on Divine Beast Vah Ruta and see how Mipha was getting along with it," Zelda explained.

"Ah of course. She can be found out in the hills with some of the guards in training. And please, stay as long as you would like."

"Thank you for your kindness," Zelda said.

"And Link," he said. "My wife had our second child last month, his name is Sidon. He and our handmaided should be with Mipha currently, I'm sure you would like to meet him."

He gave a nod.

"As stoic as ever," he laughed deeply.

"Congratulations," Zelda said with a smile. "Let's go." She turned and led link down the steps. Link then continued to lead her across one of the bridges up to the clearing where a number of Zora were practicing forms with spears.

Mipha stood in front of all of them. Her stance elongated and poised. She looked almost relaxed, but when she then moved, jabbing the air with her spear, she moved with an intense ferocity.

A young blue Zora held a baby in her arms. He squirmed and tugged on one of her fins with his bright red claws.

"Good afternoon," Zelda said. "I am terribly sorry to interrupt your important training."

Mipha relaxed her shoulders and turned. She smiled warmly. "Link… and Zelda, it's a pleasure to see you both." She looked to the group of Zora. "That will be all for today's lesson. But continue going through the forms a few more times before going home."

"Yes, my lady," a number chimed out before resuming their practicing.

She stepped over to them. "What might the occasion be?" she asked.

"I wanted to speak with you more about Vah Ruta," Zelda said. "Daruk has started to work out the weapons mechanisms and I wanted to pass along the knowledge."

She nodded. "Let's make our way to Ruta." She looked to the young Zora standing by with the child. "I'll take Sidon for now. A walk would be good for him, and I have yet to show him Ruta."

"Yes, my lady," she said, transferring the child into her arms.

"So Link, this is Sidon," she said showing the shark-like child to him.

He smiled and waved to him.

Sidon simply babbled and looked around.

Mipha led them down the hill and all the way to Ruta. She and Zelda spoke at length about the Beast and how to properly operate its weapons. Mipha handed off Sidon to Link while she worked on the mechanics of the massive elephant.

"This information is very helpful, thank you," Mipha said to Zelda as she worked on one of the terminals that sat on the end of the trunk.

"Of course, if it takes me running as messenger between you champions to prepare for Calamity Ganon, then a messenger I'll be," she said strongly.

"But you do have more important duties than such."

She sighed. "I suppose I do, yes, but I want to help where I can, and I—"

Sidon started crying in Links arms. No longer was his messy hair and funny faces keeping him entertained.

Link tried bouncing him and shushing him, but he started flailing his arms about in a fuss. One of his claws cut across his forearm, but Link ignored it as he tried to contain the little shark.

"Oh dear," Mipha gasped gently. "I'm sorry, he must need to eat." She took the baby for a moment and stroked his fins. "It's alright, we'll get you some delicious ground minnows. I'm almost finished here." She bounced him a little and he finally started to calm down.

"Might I be of help?" Zelda offered. "I could bring him back to his mother while you finish."

"Would you mind? I can then finish this and patch up Link's arm," she said.

Zelda took the child who immediately grabbed and pulled her hair, and she made her way up the trunk and through the beast.

"One moment Link," she said placing her hand on the terminal. She focused on it for a moment and it flashed blue for a moment, dulled for a moment, and flashed again. "There." The trunk started to shift into the upright position. She stepped forward towards its end and held out her hand.

Link took it and stepped slowly as the end of the trunk started to become level with the ground. Mipha then sat on its edge and Link did the same as it came to a stop.

She held out her hand for Link's arm and looked at it carefully before raising her hand over it. "I was thinking… this reminds me of the time we first met." A soft glow emanated from her hand, surrounding the wound. The light made his arm tingle slightly and warm up.

Immediately he remembered the first time he came to the Zora Domain. He was with his father who was trying to teach him the techniques of the other races. It was just starting to storm and it was getting late. His father turned his gaze from young Link who wandered off. After having overheard that the Zora Princess left her trident on the top of the hill, but was too afraid of the coming storm to return it, he charged off into the rain. Unfortunately, just before approaching the trident on the hill, a bolt of lightning struck it, blasting him with dirt and rock and burning him slightly form the flash. But he still returned with the trident, acting as it he hadn't been injured at all.

"You were just a reckless child… always getting yourself hurt at every turn. Every time, I would heal you, just as I am doing right now. I thought it was funny how being a Hylian, you looked grown up so much faster than I did. I was… I was always willing to heal your wounds. Even back then." The wound finished sealing up and the light faded.

Link inspected his arm briefly, seeing no sign of an injury, just as her magic had always done.

"So if this calamity Ganon does, in fact, return, what can we really do? We just don't seem to know much about what we'll be up against. But know this, that no matter how difficult this battle might get… if you—if anyone ever tries to do you harm—then I will heal you. No matter when, or how bad the wound…. I hope you know… that I will always protect you." She looked down at her hands, folding them together. "Once this whole thing is over, maybe things can go back to how they used to be when we were young. You know…." She slowly looked up at him with a gentle smile. "Perhaps we could spend some time together."

He looked at her, thinking, then he nodded. -That would be fun.-

She smiled. "I'm glad you think so." She looked out to the Domain briefly. "It is best we turn home. I have finished my work on Ruta for now and Zelda awaits you…" she said standing up. "You know… I was worried when I heard you were being taken on as her knight."

Link stood.

"She is quite strong headed… and a little demanding…. And you're willing to do anything for anyone, no matter the how trivial the quest. I was worried she would accidentally send you out into terrible danger without thinking." She looked towards her feet then started to make her way towards Ruta's back, holding her hand out for a moment to tell its trunk to lie down again. "Has she been… causing you any harm?" she asked finally after stepping onto its back.

He shook his head.

"Good… I certainly hope she doesn't in the future." She looked to the Domain again.

He raised his hand to draw her attention then signed. -I think we might be friends. Not completely sure. But she has shown some care for me. It's something I'm not used to,- he signed slowly as he thought. -No one but you have cared so much for me. But finally I found one more person who does…. It's nice.-

She smiled a little for a moment. "I am glad to hear you are getting along." She took a deep breath. "Come." And she led him back to the Domain.


End file.
